True Destiny
by Kudra23
Summary: Liz Parker feels set adrift after the events of Season 2. Max seems to want to pick up where they left off, as though nothing had happened. But Liz has a dark secret that she's been keeping close to the vest: a secret involving our favorite Covenant boys. As she feels her eighteenth birthday growing closer, she doesn't know how she'll get through it alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This story is a being written on request for a friend. She's been going through a rough patch, and she wanted something to take her mind off RL. I had to watch Roswell, because I'd never seen it, so I'm brand new to that fandom. I'm taking a few liberties with various time lines, so please just go with it. For Roswell, this takes place after Season 2. I'm pretending for the purposes of my tale that the events following Alex's death dragged on all summer and the final showdown with Tess in the Granolith didn't happen until a week before Thanksgiving of their senior year. None of the events of Season 3 have happened. For The Covenant, this takes place partway through the movie. I'm pretending that Caleb's birthday isn't actually until December, so when Chase came to Spenser Academy, he pretended to be a normal student for a longer period of time than he did in the movie. Caleb and Sarah are dating, and went to Homecoming together, but since Chase hasn't started terrorizing them yet, Caleb had no reason to tell her about the Covenant. **

Liz descended the stairs to the Crashdown, feeling reluctant to enter the bright, loud atmosphere of the cafe. These days, it seemed as though the world around her whirled by in flashes of light and sound, while she was stuck in slow motion. The worst part was, she had no one to blame for the current situation but herself. She had willingly fallen into the Alien Abyss; had allowed the thrill of her first brush with romance to overwhelm her sense of logic. That was the biggest crime: she'd lost her compass; the way she viewed and analyzed the world around her. Now that the Shakespearean drama that was her love life for the past year had played itself out, she was set adrift.

The rift between her and the Pod Squad had started last year when she refused to believe that Alex's death was an accident. It stung that after all the proof she'd given them of her intelligence and good instincts over the course of their friendship, they wouldn't even _consider_ the idea that she might be right. Their behavior didn't make sense. Normally, all it took for them to become suspicious was for someone to so much as _breathe _wrong. They'd jump all over it, and the gang would investigate to the bitter end. The group dynamic had shattered: first pitting aliens vs humans, and then Pod Squad vs Liz. Now, Max seemed to think that with Tess gone, they could all just go back to the way things were before, as though every action and harsh word in between could be erased.

Michael was the only one that had believed her about Alex. He'd come to her during that dark time and reassured her that she was doing the right thing. But his primary focus had to be keeping the group together, and one more dissenting opinion at that point would've turned the aliens against each other, too. So his support had been silent, and their friendship relegated to shifts they worked at the diner together, and late night visits he'd make to her house.

She pushed open the door to the backroom, seeing Michael's lean frame in the kitchen flipping burgers. He paused, mid-flip, and looked over his shoulder at her. The only positive outcome of the whole Tess debacle was that, as Max started to go more and more off the rails, Michael started coming into himself and stepping up. He was more in tune with himself and his powers than he'd ever been as a result. The fact that he could tell Liz apart from all the other employees that came and went was a testament to that control.

"Hey Michael," she greeted quietly, gracing him with a smile that was so rare to see on her face these days. She was proud of him, though, and wanted him to know it.

Michael nodded stoically. "Liz." His lips twitched slightly upward, making her own grin widen.

"Busy today?" she called, as she moved to pull her apron from her locker. She paused to run a brush through her long hair and tie it back.

"Nah." He pushed the latest order through the window and called it, then moved to the kitchen doorway to watch Liz get ready.

She eyed him warily, wondering what was making him go out of his way to prolong their conversation. He caught her expression and shifted a bit on his feet.

"His Royal Highness is on a tear," he said finally. He met her eyes briefly and looked away. "Seems to think you should play Bonnie to his Clyde."

Liz closed her locker and fussed with her apron strings while she translated his statement. "He wants me to help him find Zan?"

"Yeah. He wants the Pod Squad back in action," Michael said. "Just thought I should warn you."

She met his eyes. "He's coming in tonight, isn't he?" she concluded, putting two and two together.

She'd spent the previous week since the _incident_ going directly home from school and hiding out from everyone. Since Jeff and Nancy hated Max, they'd happily fielded her calls and turned him away when he dropped by. Liz had a feeling they could sense something was off about him, and there was nothing they despised more than abnormality. They felt Kyle was a nice, perfect _normal_ boy for her to date. She'd realized that was why she'd let herself get so caught up in Max: it pissed Jeff and Nancy off and gave her a way to rebel. This week was Thanksgiving Break, and she'd just dropped her parents off at the airport for a four-day conference. She'd been hoping to avoid the Pod Squad and use the time to catch up on all the schoolwork she'd neglected while investigating Alex's murder. Her eyes threatened to fill with tears at the thought of her lost friend. Michael patted her awkwardly on the shoulder before turning back to the safety of the kitchen.

"Thanks for the heads up," she called after him.

For the millionth time over the past four years, she wished the boys were here. Caleb, Pogue, Reid and Tyler: they were her _real_ family. What the Pod Squad didn't know was that Liz was a Daughter of Ipswitch. The only daughter left, in fact. The other four Daughter families had refused to be driven from their homes in Europe, and the ones who weren't executed in the witch trials died fighting a great battle against demons. Liz's real mother had died of mysterious circumstances, and her father, wanting nothing to do with magic, had put her up for adoption. She was supposed to stay in Ipswich with the four Sons, but when Liz turned 13 and gained access to her power, Jeff and Nancy couldn't handle it. They thought she was a freak, and blamed it on her intensely close relationship with the Sons. The Covenant, led by the Elders, had tried to intervene and help Nancy and Jeff come to terms with the changes in Liz, but after a year of chaos, they broke.

The day after Liz's 8th Grade graduation, they pulled stakes and moved to Roswell with no warning. The Elders' hands were tied because the Parkers had legal custody of Liz. Moving, in turn, broke Liz. The only thing that saved her from the madness of having to deal with her growing powers all by herself was meeting Alex and Maria. They were the bright spots in the darkness. Alex was the only one that she'd actually told the truth about herself. He found her one day, eyes black, hands crackling with red sparks that she couldn't control. In his calm, Alex-like manner, he'd ignored all his fears and questions and simply asked, "Lizzie, what can I do?"

The Sons had turned up in Roswell that first summer, knowing how badly she needed them, but Jeff and Nancy had threatened to file a restraining order. Despite the vast legal, monetary and magical power of the Covenant, they couldn't interfere with parents' rights, and Liz didn't want the Elders to do anything drastic just to keep her there. For the first year she was gone, the Sons took turns visiting her in secret every month. Nancy and Jeff had found her entwined with Caleb in her bed one night, however, and had called the police and charged him with every heinous crime they could think of. None of them stuck, of course, but the point was made.

They didn't realize that having sex had been the last thing on the teens' minds at the time. Liz was overflowing with power and had no outlet. Overusing the power could lead to addiction, but to underuse it was just as deadly. They were stuffed full of magic and needed to let it out regularly or it would burn them up from the inside out. Sons and Daughters could also alleviate this need with skin-to-skin contact. Their magic was compatible, and when they touched they could share it without the addictive side effects. Liz had no one after the move, and no safe place to Use. This was the year they all turned 18, and she knew she couldn't handle Ascending alone. As it was, she'd taken to wearing thin leather gloves to cover the telltale glow of power racing beneath her flesh, and to stop her from coming into contact with non-Covenant skin.

Jeff and Nancy laid down the law for her: no more using her powers, no more contact with the Sons. They didn't listen when she tried to explain that not using her powers would kill her, and not being with the Sons would drive her insane. They were certain they could squash the magic and Otherness out of her by cutting her off from it completely. Liz, in a combination of retaliation and desperation, created her Perfect Liz Parker persona. In return for denying her her heritage, Liz gave them their version of the perfect daughter. Only it wasn't that simple. She was perfect on the surface: demur dress and hair, perfect grades, polite and dutiful behavior. But she was also completely passionless and bland. It was the best revenge she could think of. They demanded she change herself and conform to their idea of normality, and they got it in spades. But what they lost was any emotional connection they had forged with their adoptive daughter. She always said and did all the right things, but she was cold and lifeless. The only time she sparked to life was around her friends.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Liz stuffed an order pad and a pen in her apron pocket and pushed through the revolving doors out into the café proper. The restaurant was currently in that lull between the lunch and dinner rush, so she set about prepping her station and helping the outgoing waitstaff with their shift change duties. It was better to keep busy and not dwell. She was going to be _Liz_ again, and not allow her need to fill the hole that leaving the Covenant had created drive her actions. No wonder she'd latched on to the aliens and their problems. They were different, and though their powers weren't compatible with hers, being around them was slightly soothing to her senses. She was past that now, and she was going to be with the Sons for her Ascension, even if she had to walk to Ipswich.


	2. Chapter 2

She lost herself in the job for the next couple of hours, doing her best to keep the customers happy and her coworkers sane and on-task. Michael was working a double, and she appreciated his steady presence. He alone of the aliens realized something was off about her. He'd known since the beginning, back when he stole her diary. Thankfully, she hadn't written anything incriminating about the Covenant. While the other aliens had either eagerly (Max) or reluctantly (Isobel & Tess) let her in, Michael had continued to watch. Somewhere along the way, she must've proven that she wasn't a threat to them, so he allowed her secrecy. For now.

Liz was in the midst of settling an argument between two waitresses about who deserved the first smoke break. She was on the verge of announcing to both of them that _she_ was taking the damned break and they could stick that in their cigarette filters and smoke it. She was tired of putting on the cheery, "good girl" persona to hide her dark secrets. It was exhausting, and the closer she got to Ascending, the harder it was to rein it all in.

"Liz," a calm voice interrupted. She whipped her head around to face Michael, who was watching her worriedly from across the room. He tilted his head, effectively summoning her.

She could feel the power bubbling just beneath her skin, itching to get out. Oh the things she could do with it if she'd just let go... She came to a stop in front of Michael, knowing he could sense her turmoil, even if he didn't understand the source.

He eyed her closely. "You look like me after my powwow with River Dog," he commented idly. Nothing Michael ever said or did was idle, however, and Liz knew the comparison was apt, and that he could tell she was on the edge of losing control.

She nodded, fearing nonsensically that opening her mouth would form a gateway for the power to escape.

"And touching will make it worse?" he asked, looking at the gloves she wore over her hands, and the long-sleeved, silver shirt she had on under her uniform.

She nodded again, not having the energy to explain that only the touch of someone Covenant would help. Michael looked troubled, wanting to help, but uncertain how.

"I need to know what's going on with you, Liz," he said lowly, purposefully keeping his voice even for her sake. She opened her mouth to protest, and he held up a hand. "I get it, you _know_ I do. If there weren't other people involved that you have to protect, then you'd have told me by now."

Liz couldn't help but smile briefly. Michael was so much smarter than most people gave him credit for. _Intuitive_. It was scary when it was directed at her.

"Look," he continued, "You don't have to tell me everything. Just enough to help." He pinned her gaze with the force of his stare, making her feel its weight. "I won't tell _anyone_," he promised solemnly.

The fact that he was willing to come out of his natural reticence, and keep secrets for her, even from his family, made her eyes tear up in gratitude. She owed him the truth, at least as much as she could give without telling secrets that weren't hers to tell. It's not as though Michael didn't understand.

"OK," she agreed quietly. "After work?"

He nodded, and then tensed, gaze drawn to something over her shoulder. At that moment, the bell over the entryway jangled. She could tell in an instant, from the set of his jaw, who it was.

"It's him, isn't it?" she whispered, stomach plummeting. This was the last thing she needed right now.

"Yeah," Michael muttered. "All of them."

Liz sighed long-sufferingly. "When it rains, it pours," she said dryly, and then smiled a bit as Michael chuckled. Then he pinned her with a worried expression.

"You going to be OK?" he asked, allowing that simple sentence to encompass the myriad of things currently going wrong for Liz. It was her turn to chuckle.

"Well, you know what they say," she replied cheerily. "A day without an alien-probing is like a day without sunshine."

Michael actually laughed out loud, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

"Don't you people have lives?" Michael snapped. He winked at Liz, and then returned to his steadily growing pile of orders.

Reluctantly, Liz turned to face the restaurant, already knowing what she would find. Sure enough, the Pod Squad had already settled into a booth in her section, and Max was staring at her dolefully. Liz cringed internally. 'How did I ever find that appealing?' she wondered. She wasn't sure how to feel about this invasion. They should've respected the fact that she needed time to deal, as evidenced by the past two days of avoidance. Instead, they were Shanghaiing her at the first opportunity in a place they knew she couldn't escape from. Kyle's presence she could understand, because he was madly in love with Isobel. At least he had the presence of mind to look sheepish and contrite. But Maria, coming here and presenting a united front with them, and especially _Max_, after everything that had happened, was like a slap in the face.

She decided that this disrespectful breach would be treated as such. She didn't have the energy to play "good girl Liz" who let people walk all over her. Approaching their table, she refused to meet any of their eyes.

She greeted them all with a bland, impersonal smile. "Welcome to the Crashdown," she intoned professionally. "My name is Liz, and I'll be your server today. What can I start you off with?" She whipped out her order pad as though she didn't already know what each of them drank.

"Liz," Max murmured, voice intimate and warm. "How are you?"

Liz cut him off as though he'd never spoken, "We have coffee, tea, Coke products and delicious milkshakes."

Kyle cleared his throat to draw her attention to him and said, "I'll have a Marvin the Martian shake, please."

She let her eyes meet her friend's for a moment to communicate her gratitude. He nodded slightly and smiled at her.

"Cherry Coke," Isobel ordered tersely, expression haughty.

Liz nodded and wrote it down, turning her gaze to land on Maria's forehead. "You know what I like, Lizzie," Maria said with a tempting smile. Liz continued to stare blankly until Maria gave in and ordered. She turned in Max's general direction.

"And for you?" she asked.

"Liz," Max chided. "I don't know why you're being like this. Everything is OK now. Tess is gone. We need to..."

"He'll have a Cherry Coke," Kyle interrupted, rescuing her again.

Liz wrote it down. "Are you ready to order your meal or do you need time?" she asked.

"We need time," Maria replied, but Liz felt it was just an excuse to get her to make more trips to their table. They always ordered the same thing.

Instead of saying any of this, she nodded, gave them one more bland smile, and left, escaping to the safety of the drink station. She saw Michael watching her from the corner of her eye, and he raised a brow in clear amusement at her antics. She prepped their drinks and placed them on a tray, along with a few odds and ends for the other tables in her section. Moving quickly, she delivered the Pod Squad's drinks in drive-by fashion, hurrying on to her next table and calling, "I'll be right back to take your dinner order." '_Put that in your alien ship and fly it_,' she thought with an internal grin. She addressed the needs of her other three tables before returning to the Table of Doom.

"Have you decided yet?" she inquired politely, addressing the tabletop. She could tell her polite indifference was driving them crazier than being mean would have. There's nothing more insulting than being treated as inconsequential.

Kyle jumped in first, playing along. Isobel was her usual, Ice Princess self, and Max and Maria each tried to bait her into breaking her facade while ordering. She ignored it and left their table as quickly as possible. Moving to the kitchen window, she pasted the ticket up for Michael and paused to watch him work.

"You OK?" he asked softly over his shoulder, as he lifted a mesh container of onion rings from the fry vat.

"Peachy fucking keen," she muttered, and was once again graced with a burst of rare, true laughter from her friend.

"Ah," he murmured. "So I finally get to meet the real Liz Parker."

"Accept no substitutes," she sassed.

He smirked at her. "Go take a break, I'll call you when this is ready."

She gave him a grateful smile and walked into the backroom to flop lazily on the couch. She closed her eyes and tried to find her inner cool. The last time she'd felt truly at peace was back in Ipswich with the boys. They'd snuck into her room the night before her birthday so they'd be with her at 3:00am when she officially turned 13 and got her first dose of power. She was the youngest, so they'd already been through this routine with the four Sons. They'd strip down to boxer shorts (and a camisole for Liz) and curl up around the person turning 13 in a giant mass of limbs. This Covenant skin-to-skin presence kept each of them grounded through the painful change.

Caleb had given her a cell phone the last time he'd been in Roswell. It was in his name, and he paid all the bills, so it couldn't be traced to her. After Jeff and Nancy decided to isolate her completely from the Sons, Liz hadn't even dared to call them on the landline. Her parents checked the bill every month to make sure there weren't any calls they didn't recognize. Jeff and Nancy's threats of restraining orders and sexual assault charges wouldn't have been enough on their own to stop the Sons from visiting her. However, after that incident, their fathers had gotten together and done a spell to trap each Son in Ipswich. For all the betrayals she'd felt from her adoptive parents, none of them could touch how betrayed she felt by the Elders for Using on their own Sons. They didn't understand. They'd never had to exist in this horrid state of separation. The Sons weren't going to tell her because they didn't want to give lay anymore weight on her shoulders, but Reid let it slip one night over the phone. They all took turns calling her randomly, and every Sunday the boys would gather and talk to Liz on speakerphone. It was nothing compared to actually physically (and magically) being in their presence, but Liz had pinned her sanity on those phone calls.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, she felt the phone vibrate from her apron pocket. Even at this distance, Caleb could sense when one of them was in distress. With a brief quirk of her lips, she flipped open the phone.

"Hey Caleb."

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked curiously. They'd set up her phone such that every name and number came up as Unknown, so if her parents found it they wouldn't recognize names or area codes, and Liz could reasonably claim it wasn't hers.

She sighed. "The timing was too perfect."

"What's happening?" he demanded, his concern bringing out Leader Caleb.

"Nothing new really…" she struggled to find a way to explain. "All the stress from Alex's death and the aftermath have gotten me down. The others are acting like I should just get over the whole thing. They haven't even apologized: they just expect me to jump back into their bullshit and be their Perfect Liz Parker who solves all their problems and then lets them piss all over me. I try not to let it get me riled up, because I know it just makes everything worse, but they're practically stalking me now." All the pain and frustration of the past few months bled through into her words, despite her best efforts to remain calm. There was nothing Caleb could do from a distance, and she knew he already carried enough guilt and stress over her isolation in Roswell.

She hadn't told the Sons about the Alien Abyss. She'd told them about the individual people and their places in her life. She'd told them about everything that happened: but a highly edited version that didn't include little green men. Not because she didn't want them to know: they were Covenant, weirdness was their birthright. It was because she only spoke with them over the phone, and even with the most secure phones money could buy, she didn't trust that they could stand up to either FBI or alien technology. With a town like Roswell, and their recent experiences with evil aliens and evil government agents, you can never tell when someone would be listening. For that reason, she also didn't explicitly discuss her powers over the phone because she didn't want some gung-ho Fed or Skin to mistake them for extraterrestrials rather than subterrestrials. Their kind didn't come from some far-flung planet: they came from Hell. She felt her angst and rage rising again and knew her eyes had bled black.

"Calm down," Caleb commanded. It wasn't as effective over the phone without the true weight of his power, but the sense-memory was enough to pull her back over the edge. "Breath with me," he intoned soothingly, taking long, deep breaths in and out. She followed him, matching their lungs together. If Caleb was actually here, she would've matched their heartbeats as well, but it was enough for now that her racing pulse slowed.

"Thank you," she whispered, eyes closed and riding the wave of calm Caleb ignited in her.

Her eyes snapped open several minutes later as she felt a dose of alien magic tickling at her senses. She saw Michael beyond the kitchen door, throwing invisible power pulses at her to get her attention. She raised a brow at him in question, and he nodded toward to restaurant proper.

"Gotta go," she mumbled to Caleb, snapping the phone shut and hiding it in her apron. She just had time to sit up straight and compose herself before the Pod Squad invaded her domain.

"This area is off limits to customers," she said.

"I work here, Chica," Maria pointed out.

Liz sighed. "You're not on shift today, so you're a customer."

"Liz, we need to talk," Max stated in his Commander voice. Apparently he'd realized that his lovelorn entreaties weren't working, so he was resorting to royal prerogative.

"No," she replied coolly. "You all need to go back to your table and wait for your dinner." She paused. "Or I'll get the owner to ask you to leave."

Max smiled knowingly at her. "Your parents are at that conference. You're running the Crashdown for them."

It was only her recent phone call with Caleb that kept Liz from completely losing her cool. It burned her that her so-called friends would ambush her like this and force her into a confrontation instead of giving her the time she so clearly needed. They'd planned this particular alien invasion, knowing her parents were away. She shifted her eyes over Max's shoulder to where Michael was hovering in the kitchen doorway, waiting to see if she needed rescuing. She shook her head slightly, and he nodded before turning back to the stove. Instead of yelling all the harsh truths she'd dearly love to impart on this group, she stood and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Max yelped. "We have to talk."

"I have work to do," Liz replied coolly. "Your meals will be out shortly."

She moved back into the endless bustle of the diner, ignoring the Table of Doom, and focusing on the demands of her job. For once, the absolute chaos of trying to manage in Jeff and Nancy's stead was a relief. Michael risked Pod Squad wrath by delivering their meals himself. Liz stopped by once to drop off the check, and otherwise avoided them. Three hours later, they were still there, holding a hushed conversation at their booth.

"We're closing," Liz said politely.

Max looked at her pleadingly. "Your shift is over now, so we can talk." He stood, moving into her personal space. "Everything's OK now, Liz. Tess is gone. We can finally be together the way we were meant to be." He reached out a hand to touch her face, and Liz stepped abruptly away before he could make contact.

"_Don't touch me_," she hissed angrily, like a cat. Then she regained her cool and said, "The Crashdown is closed; everyone who isn't staff has to leave now."

Max took another step toward her, trying to reach out for her again, but Michael's voice brought him up short.

"You heard her. We're closing. Anyone who isn't on shift today leaves now." His voice was quiet, but the tone was clear.

The Pod Squad stared at him, shocked. Michael was all about group solidarity, and especially alien solidarity. Not only was he siding with Liz over the group, he was also siding with a human over his alien family. What they didn't realize was that Michael considered Liz his family, too. She was the only one that accepted him as he actually was without trying to change him. He was tired of standing idly by and watching Max emotionally eviscerate her.

Kyle nodded at Michael, glad that someone was watching out for his friend. The only reason he'd agreed to come tonight was because he was hoping his presence would help Liz. Showing up with them, however, was like aligning himself with them, and he knew that's how it must look to her. He wished he could tell her that wasn't his intent. For now, the best he could do was try and get the Pod Squad out of the restaurant without a fight between Max and Michael.

"Time to go, kiddies," he announced brightly, drawing on his goofiest demeanor, and putting his arms around Isobel and Maria. "You know what Buddha says: give me liberty or give me death!"

Max was momentarily distracted and looked at Kyle incredulously. "That was _not_ Buddha!" he informed him tersely. "That was Patrick Henry, an _American_."

"Actually," Kyle rebutted, "Could he really be considered an American since we technically weren't a sovereign nation yet?"

Max glowered. "Of course they considered themselves Americans; they place they settled was called _America_."

"Yeah, dude, but Columbus thought he landed in India, so maybe they called themselves Indians," Kyle countered.

"What?" Max exclaimed. "That makes no sense."

Kyle snickered.

Liz opened the door, and Kyle used the confusion to usher Maria and Isobel out. Max followed instinctively, to continue his argument with Kyle, and Liz slammed the door shut and set the lock behind them. Max whipped around; suddenly realizing he'd been had. He glared at Kyle and Kyle just smiled innocently at him before continuing to lead the girls away from the Crashdown. Liz knew that Max could force his way in. She was hoping the fact that one of his goals was to woo her back would keep him in check.

She turned to Michael and breathed a sigh of relief. They said nothing as they worked with the rest of the closing staff to clean and restock the café. Finally satisfied, Liz sent them all home, and then motioned for Michael to follow her upstairs.

"Make yourself at home," she instructed. "I'm going to take a shower."

He nodded, and plopped down on the couch, grabbing the remote, and flicking rapidly through the stations. Liz showered quickly, not wanting to be rude, but unable to relax while smelling of grease and bleach. Fifteen minutes later, she walked barefoot into the living room, running a comb through her long, chocolate locks. Michael looked nearly asleep, but she could tell he was internally alert.

"Anyone outside?" she asked quietly. He shook his head. "You can take a shower if you want. Towels are in the hallway closet." She knew he always kept a spare set of clothes in his work locker.

"Thanks," he replied, heading for the bathroom.

Liz sat on the couch, muted the TV, and focused her senses. She could feel Michael's presence in the bathroom, but no one else nearby. That was good. Max had a bad habit of stalking her, especially when she wasn't behaving the way he wanted her to. She'd never understood why Maria found his intense behavior romantic; she herself found it stifling and creepy. Ten minutes later, Michael reappeared, shaking his shaggy, wet hair like a puppy. He sat next to her on the couch, staring at the muted television, and giving her time to gather her thoughts.

"I'm not human," she said finally. Michael gave her a telling glance, and she immediately caught on. "No, I'm not an alien," she assured him. "It's complete chance that we met." She paused. "But, your power is part of what drew me to all of you."

Michael saw her struggling, and placed a gentle hand on her forearm, wanting to bring comfort, and hoping that the layers of material between them would keep his touch from hurting her. "Just tell me what you can."

She smiled at him gratefully. "I can't tell you names or our history, but I can say that we first get access to our power when we're 13. It changes us; changes our DNA and makes us... _Other_." Her voice grew thick with memory. "It's a horribly frightening time, even though we're raised to know what to expect. The only thing that helps is skin-to-skin contact with others of our kind. Each new generation is always born in the same year, so us five were able to help each other through the change. The power has to be used, but it's also addictive, so overusing causes insanity and premature aging. But when all five of us are together, we can Use without the side effects. Our great-great-grandparents designed a ritual to bind each generation together to make that possible. Too many of our ancestors went mad."

"Why did you move to Roswell?" Michael asked, remembering how frail and thin Liz had looked three years ago when she first moved.

Liz winced. "Jeff and Nancy aren't my real parents. When I turned 13 and got my powers, they thought I was a freak." She explained their reactions and their ultimate choice to move away despite how unhealthy it would be for her, and how she created Perfect Liz as a way to survive them.

Michael sat quietly, mulling it over. It was a lot to take in, and he was glad Liz trusted him with what she could. He hadn't figured out how he could use this knowledge to help her yet, but sometimes just knowing someone had your back was enough. "Why are you having such a hard time controlling it now?" he wondered aloud.

"When we turn 18, we get our second influx of power. It's a hundred times stronger and more intense than the first one. I spend a lot of energy keeping the power at bay and acting 'normal', but the closer I get to my birthday, the harder it gets. The oldest of us is going to turn 18 in two weeks and what happens to one of us affects us all. The only way I got through the first influx is because we were all together."

Michael turned to look her in the eye. "What do you need me to do?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

He stood abruptly and started pacing back and forth in front of her, running his hands through his hair. "I mean, this situation is fucked six ways from Sunday."

Liz just watched him pace, bewildered.

He stopped and looked down at her. "I can't fix you," he said gruffly. "Fat lot of good my great alien powers are now."

"Michael," Liz said softly, "I don't need you to fix me."

He pinned her with the force of his glare. "Our _adoptive families_ have both failed us," he said firmly, referring to Hank, Jeff and Nancy. "You're my family now, Liz. You're stuck with me. I'll get you where you need to go, even if I have to burn this town to the ground to get you out."

Liz stood shakily, and threw her arms around him. She hugged him fiercely, careful to keep their skin from touching. After a surprised pause, she felt him hug her back. "Thank you," she whispered.

"After all you've done for me, it's the least I can do," he murmured into her silky hair. After they'd settled back on the couch, he asked, "Does anyone else know?"

She smiled sadly. "Alex did. He walked in on me one day not long after I first moved here. I'd lost control of my magic. My eyes were black and my hands were shooting red sparks that melted the wallpaper."

"What happened?"

Liz chuckled. "He yelled, 'Holy Bazunga!' Then, he saw the horrified look on my face, so he swallowed down his fear, looked me in the eye, and said, 'Lizzie, what can I do?' Then, he helped me fix the damage."

He smiled. "Sounds like Alex." He came off as a bumbling nerd, but underneath was a heart and mind of steel. They relaxed in silence, enjoying a rare moment of peace. Finally, Michael murmured, "Time for bed; you're exhausted. You have to run the café again tomorrow."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

Michael sighed. "For now, go to bed. Then, tomorrow morning I'll go see Maria and find out how much trouble I'm in."

"I'm sorry." Liz's voice was contrite. "I don't want to come between all of you."

"Like I said, we're family. Everything else will sort itself out," Michael replied confidently. He wasn't so sure about that, but Liz had enough on her plate without blaming herself for other people's actions.

Michael left, and Liz managed to keep herself awake long enough to check the locks and set her alarm. Then, she collapsed on her bed, still dressed. Her sleep was plagued by nightmares of Hellfire and the screams of her ancestors as they died battling demons.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunday morning found Liz in the restaurant again, eating breakfast while she finished up the last of the previous day's reports. Thankfully, today she wasn't double-booked as a manager _and_ waitress, so it'd be easier to stay on top of things. The downside was that Maria was on the breakfast shift, and she wasn't sure what to expect. She missed her friend, but she was done playing nice to keep the peace.

The kitchen staff started to trickle in around 6:00am, and Maria walked in promptly at 6:30. She gave Liz a tight smile and continued on to her locker. Liz sighed. It was going to be _that_ kind of day. She held a brief staff meeting and distributed the daily specials, and then opened the doors. She set herself up at the bar so she'd be able to keep an eye on things while completing the inventory and daily paperwork. She was hoping to be able to squeeze in some homework, too, but that was doubtful. Sundays were always crazy busy, especially the brunch crowd that came after church.

Four hours later, the restaurant was in chaos, and Liz was running around helping the waitresses deliver orders and clean up messes. It was in the midst of this that the Pod Squad (minus Michael) arrived.

Maria appeared behind her suddenly and announced, "I'm taking my break, Liz," as she flounced over to their booth and sat down.

Liz refused to have a repeat of yesterday, so she used her managerial status to have Crystal take their table. That covered, Liz resolved to ignore them, and returned to keeping the restaurant intact through the rush. She couldn't help but overhear their conversation as she zoomed back and forth, placating the masses.

"Where's Michael?" Maria asked.

Max sighed long-sufferingly. "He's not coming."

"Why?" Maria demanded sharply, in that special tone she used for situations where Michael didn't live up to her sky-high expectations.

"He said he's not going to waste his free time stalking people." Max paused to glare accusingly at Liz as though it was her fault that he was losing control of his minions.

Kyle chuckled, but otherwise kept his peace.

"I can't believe the nerve of that boy," Maria declared. "He came to see me this morning, but did he get down on his hands and knees and beg for forgiveness? No! He actually suggested that _I_ should apologize."

"For what?" Isobel asked incredulously.

"For coming here last night and badgering Liz. His words, not mine." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "After all I put up with from him, and now suddenly he's an expert on relationships."

Liz mentally cringed as she walked by. Maria was always such a Drama Queen. But Liz had thought she'd grown up a bit over the past couple of years. Apparently not. She was still desperate to be the center of attention, to _belong_. She'd do anything to continue that feeling once she found it. Liz shouldn't be surprised that Maria chose the group over her when she rocked the boat.

Two hours later, the Pod Squad was still there. Kyle was ignoring everyone and playing his Gameboy, while Max and Isobel held whispered conversations and tried to get her attention. Liz sighed. She wasn't going to be able to handle another two days of this. Between managing the Crash for her parents and the power surges, being stalked by the Pod Squad was the last straw. Finally, during a lull, she stopped in front of their table and called Maria over. The blonde slid into the booth next to Max and the group looked up at her expectantly.

"Look," she said, "I can't have you coming in here like this for the rest of break. I need time and space, and I am _not_ getting involved in another mission right now. I need you to be my friends and respect that. You're welcome here anytime, but not when you have an agenda."

"Liz, we _are_ your friends," Maria protested.

"Then act like it," Liz replied firmly.

She walked back to her waiting pile of reports and got to work. Around ten minutes later, she felt a presence settle on the stool next to her. Max. He scooted his stool as close to hers as possible, forcing her to acknowledge him.

"Liz," he said. "We need to talk."

She sighed audibly, and scooted her stool further away from him. "About what?"

"Our _relationship_," he emphasized, as though it should be obvious.

Liz looked over at him. "We don't have a relationship," she said calmly.

"Yes we do," Max insisted. "I know you're upset, but we can put all that behind us."

"_Put that behind us_?" she parroted helplessly, feeling flummoxed. She was trying so hard not to engage, not to get into a giant fight, because she knew letting her emotions free would make it that much harder to control her power. But Max's blind platitudes were making it damned difficult.

She met the dark eyes that used to have such a hold over her. He trapped her gaze, putting the full force of his angsty charm behind it. But, now that she could see him for who he truly was, she felt nothing. He just looked like a creepy eye-stalker.

"Liz," he implored. "It's still you. It's always been you. I can be everything you need now."

"_Now_?" she repeated, incredulous. "Oh, you mean now that it turns out I was right about everything, your _wife and baby_ are safely on another planet, and you need my help to find them?"

She glared at him, enraged. He'd impregnated the enemy, physically and verbally assaulted her during the Alex debacle, and let Tess go even after he found out what she'd done. He thought a few trite words would smooth it over? He had no idea how close he was to fitting in an ashtray. "You don't get it," she snapped.

"Get what?" he replied, reaching out to touch her face.

She stood, gathered her paperwork, and stepped away. "You don't have permission to touch me," she stated as evenly as possible.

He looked thrown by the sudden diversion off topic. "Since when?" he asked, apparently deeming such a concept impossible. For some reason this revelation seemed to hit home with him more than all her avoidance and anger. Throughout their long on-again off-again relationship woes, she'd never once asked him not to touch her.

"There's no relationship to salvage here, Max." Liz said firmly, getting them back on topic.

Max met her eyes again, desperately, calling on the connection between them. "We're soul mates, Liz," he insisted. "I know you feel it."

She could feel him in her mind, playing with the connection between them. "Get the hell out of my head!" she spat, turning her gaze away from his eyes to rest on his forehead instead. She couldn't believe he was pulling that card.

"Liz," he pleaded. He looked ready to reach out and try to touch her face again, so she took another step back.

"I can't believe you'd stoop to mind-rape when you don't get what you want!" she accused.

"_What_?" he gasped, face slack-jawed with shock. "That's not what that was!" he declared. "I was just reminding you of our connection so you'd remember the good times and see that I'm right about us."

Liz decided to let the mind-rape topic go for now, because if she continued down that track, her power would take over and she wouldn't be able to stop it until something was destroyed. She decided to wield logic as her shield. It was one of her strengths. "So, we're _soul mates_ because we have a connection and can send each other memories when we touch?" she asked.

"Yes!" Max agreed quickly, his face looking thrilled that she was finally getting it.

Liz smirked inwardly. "But we didn't have this connection until you healed me," she pointed out. "I barely even noticed you before that."

Max's happy expression faltered.

Liz continued, "When you healed Kyle, you formed a connection with him, too." She grinned, and then looked over Max's shoulder to the Pod Squad's table. "Hey Kyle, did you know having a connection to Max and seeing his memories means you're his soul mate too?"

Kyle grinned mischievously at her, and then adopted a heartbroken expression. "But, he told me I was special!" he whined. "I didn't know he was running around showing _everyone _his naked pod-baby pictures!"

Liz burst out laughing. "There's all those patients in the cancer ward, too," she added.

Kyle pointed at Max. "You, sir, are a soul mate slut!" Then he collapsed dramatically back in his seat.

Max glared venomously at Kyle. "It's not the same," he insisted stubbornly. He looked at Liz imploringly. "Our connection is different because we're in love."

Liz sighed. Typical Max only hearing what he wants to hear. "I'm not in love with you," she said.

"What?" he exclaimed. This was also new. Throughout their rocky relationship, she'd never told him not to touch her and she'd never told him she didn't love him anymore. "That can't be true," he denied wildly, disbelief clear on his face.

We're not even friends," she added, hoping to drive the point home how completely their relationship had changed and exactly where she stood.

"Why not?" he asked, baffled.

"Because, I will _never_ forgive you for letting that skank-ass bitch go_,_" she intoned, voice resonating with power. Then, she turned and walked away.

"Amen, Sistah!" Kyle called out from the table where the Pod Squad was blatantly eavesdropping.

Liz shot him a brief smile as she stormed by. She was hoping nobody noticed that the swinging door blasted open before she'd gotten close enough to touch it. Her power was going haywire in her rage, and she was so close to destroying the whole damned restaurant. It would serve Jeff and Nancy right for being so intolerant. People stepped out of her way as she blew by, beating a path to the tiny office behind the kitchen.

Jose followed her hesitantly into the office, watching as she slammed her files on the desk. He'd always liked Liz, and she was a much better manager than her parents.

"Is everything alright, Miss?" he asked politely.

Liz sighed. "Not really. I apologize for being so rude."

"It's OK. We all have bad days." He smiled at her.

She smiled back, but it was strained. "Thank you."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Liz thought about it. "Actually, there is one huge favor you can do for me."

Jose nodded. "Whatever you need."

"Please keep Max Evans from coming back here," she murmured.

The cook chuckled. "With pleasure, Miss."

"I'll be working from here for now, but I'm still available if you need me," she said. "Just yell and I'll come out."

"It's slow, we'll be fine," he assured her, and left.

Three seconds later, Liz felt her phone vibrate. She whipped it out and accepted the call.

"Caleb," she said quickly, knowing he must have felt how close she was to going nuclear.

"_Liz_," he murmured, voice gravelly with distress. "Calm down, sweetheart."

"Sorry," she whispered, feeling close to tears from the havoc the incident had wrought on her senses.

Caleb sighed. "It's not your fault," he insisted. "I'm the one that's sorry that I can't be there to help you." His tone was heavy with guilt.

"Not your fault either, Cay," she insisted, with a small smile. Just his voice alone had the power to heal her a bit.

His voice lightened to match hers, and she could tell he was wearing his irresistible smile. Just the memory of it made her feel warm and safe. "Better now?"

"Yes," she assured him. "Thanks for calling."

"Always," he promised.

When Caleb felt Liz's crashing wave of rage and despair, he was driving Sarah to town for a movie date. It was so powerful that he had to pull over to the side of the road. Sarah looked at him in question, but all he could think of was getting hold of Liz.

"What's going on?" she asked, frowning, as she took in the busy traffic rushing past them while Caleb pulled the car haphazardly on the narrow sidewalk.

Caleb ignored her and pulled out his phone. He hit Liz's speed dial code, and stared off into the middle distance, attention completely focused on his goal.

"Caleb," her voice greeted over the line, crackling with tension and power.

"_Liz_," he said quietly, aching inside as he imagined what she must be going through all by herself. He felt Sarah looking at him, clearly wondering who it was that pulled such deep emotions from him. "Calm down, sweetheart," he murmured.

Sarah whipped around so she was directly facing him now; visibly displeased at his tone and his choice of words. Her eyes cut him with questions, but he didn't have time to deal with it now. He did his best to calm Liz down and cheer her up, and couldn't resist a smile at his success. When he hung up the phone, Sarah pounced on him.

"Who was _that_?" she demanded.

Caleb's smile faded at her harsh tone. He hadn't really said anything that would warrant that amount of anger and jealousy.

"That was Liz," he replied calmly, knowing very well that it wasn't what his girlfriend wanted to know.

Sarah's eyes flashed impatiently. "I know. I heard that part. I mean, who is she to _you_?"

Caleb sighed. He'd probably be jealous too if he'd heard her talking to some guy he'd never met like that, without knowing the context. But it was ingrained in him to be protective of Liz and his relationship with her. It didn't matter if it didn't make sense to outsiders. If someone wanted in his world, even partway, they'd have to accept that there were certain aspects of his life that were unassailable: like his relationship with the rest of the Covenant. But since Liz had moved to Roswell for high school, no one at Spencer knew she was one of them.

Aloud, he said, "Liz is…" he trailed off, trying to think of a way to describe her place in his life using terms a human would understand. Calling her _his world_, or _1/5 of his soul_ wouldn't exactly soothe his girlfriend's fears. "We grew up together, all five of us," he said finally. "Our families are all really close and we've always done everything as a group."

"Why haven't I met her?" Sarah asked, still peeved that there was yet another person that took up such a large portion of Caleb's devotion. And this person was female, which made it much harder to share.

"Her adoptive parents moved to Roswell right before high school started." Caleb frowned, remembering that awful day. He felt a sudden rush of power that he knew was due to his upcoming Ascension. His worry for Liz, coupled with his fury over his inability to do anything solid about it, had aggravated the beast. Something had to be done, and soon. He refused to Ascend without Liz.

"Why did you pull over so suddenly and call her out of the blue like that?" Sarah asked.

"Oh," he hedged, "I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and knew it was her. She's been going through a tough time lately and I was worried something bad happened."

The expression on his face told Sarah not to ask any more questions, just like so many other aspects of his life. She reluctantly complied; Caleb was the most popular guy in school and she didn't want to lose him. At least this Liz chick was in Roswell, thousands of miles away. It wasn't like Caleb was going to see her anytime soon. She consoled herself with the thought that Liz was probably ugly.


	4. Chapter 4

When Michael entered the Crashdown an hour later for his shift, he knew immediately that something was wrong. For one thing, the staff, which was currently a mix of the outgoing morning shift and the incoming evening shift, were gossiping madly and sending surreptitious looks toward the backroom. For another, the Pod Squad was still seated at their booth. Kyle was ignoring them and playing a Gameboy. Max, Isobel, and Maria (still in her uniform) had their heads together whispering, and Fearless Leader looked extra-constipated. As the bell above the door announced his arrival, they started frantically motioning him toward their booth. He ignored them, more concerned about Liz.

He pushed through the door and saw Jose wiping down the stovetop. Jose paused every once in a while to cast a suspicious eye toward the Pod Squad. When he saw Michael, he smiled, looking relieved.

"Hey man," he greeted. "Glad you're here."

"What's going on?" Michael asked.

"Your friends kept raggin' on Boss Lady til she snapped. Thought she was gonna blow the door right off the hinges." He paused. "Not that I blame her." He looked out the window again. "Asked me to keep _that one_ out of the kitchen," he added.

Michael sighed. "Where is she?"

"Office," Jose replied.

Michael raised a brow. It must've been bad to drive Liz back into the cramped office. She hated it, and never stayed there longer than absolutely necessary.

"Can I head out now?" Jose asked.

"Yeah," Michael assured him. "I've got this."

He approached the closed office door and knocked gently.

"Come in, Michael," Liz called.

He entered, closing the door behind him to give them privacy. "How'd you know it was me?"

She turned to look at him. "The closer I get to Ascending, the easier it is to differentiate between you, Max, and Isobel."

"Ah." He paused, hands in his pockets, uncomfortable. "So…"

Liz sighed. "Yeah, badness. But on the bright side, Max isn't a pile of ash. Yet." He arched a brow at her until she caved and told him what happened.

"Fuck," Michael muttered succinctly.

She met his eyes. "There is one good thing that came from this mess."

"Like what?" Michael asked dryly, clearly not believing her.

Liz smiled mischievously. "Since Max saw fit to take advantage of the one nice thing he ever did for me, I no longer have to feel beholden to him for saving my life." She met his gaze. "I just feel guilty that all this started under false pretenses."

Michael arched a brow at her.

"The bullet wound wasn't that bad. I could've healed myself. I feel badly knowing that I was the catalyst for all the insanity that followed."

Michael sighed. "You didn't ask Max to heal you," he said finally. "That was his choice. We could have waited for the paramedics. All the FBI interest in us is a direct result of him exposing himself; that's not on you. And the alien issues we've had would've happened anyway."

"Thanks," Liz replied quietly.

"I'm glad it happened that way," Michael continued. "For one thing, you saved all our asses several times, and if you hadn't gotten involved, I doubt we'd have all survived this long."

They fell into contemplative silence.

"Are you OK to work tonight?" Michael asked. "I can manage here without you."

"I know," Liz said, "But I'm probably better off working."

Michael looked closely at her. "OK, but if you feel an urge to fry our customers, let me know so I can get to minimum safe distance."

"You don't want to be my test subject?" Liz pouted. "You know how I love experiments!"

Michael just glared.

They stood and exited the office together, and Liz was in a much better mood. She even smirked as everyone moved cautiously out of her way. Her mood elevated further when she entered the restaurant proper and saw that the Pod Squad had finally left.

"I'm surprised there aren't indentations from their asses on the chairs," Liz muttered.

Michael snorted. "Watch that mouth, Miss Parker," he chided.

Liz touched her chin thoughtfully. "So I shouldn't have called Tess a skank-ass bitch?"

Michael shook his head reprovingly. "I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap," he threatened. He moved into the kitchen and pulled on his apron.

"I could've called her a mangy whore," she called after him helpfully.

Liz smiled at the sound of her friend's laughter, and resettled herself at the bar to handle the evening paperwork. She quickly lost track of time between solving minor crises and filling out the inventory log. Two hours later, Michael plopped a plate of food in front of her.

"Eat," he ordered, hustling back to the kitchen.

"Thanks!" she yelled cheerily.

The rest of the evening passed calmly enough. Sunday nights were never busy after 7pm. Liz was able to prep for the next day and create an outline for her U.S. History paper. Most of her teachers, given her exemplary record and the circumstances surrounding her recent drop in performance, were willing to assign her make-up work. It was all designed to be much more difficult than the original assignments, naturally, but she was still grateful. Once Jeff and Nancy returned, she'd be able to spend more time on it. Of course, all of this hard work was moot if she had to Ascend alone. She'd wind up either a crazy, burnt-out husk, or just plain dead. She'd prefer the latter, actually.

Just like yesterday, Michael stayed after closing duties were finished. They showered and collapsed on the couch again, watching Jeopardy reruns on mute. It was nice to have someone to just chill out and relax with that didn't need to be talking all the time. Michael was a comforting presence next to her, and the quiet was a balm to Liz's overtaxed senses. After an hour or so, Michael nudged Liz and urged her to get some rest. Just like the previous night, she locked up and collapsed on her bed, instantly asleep. Her dreams were filled with Hellfire and the Sons.

Liz woke up exhausted and on edge. There was so much power buzzing just beneath her skin. She felt like she was going to explode. She kept waking up during the night, panicked, and feeling like her lungs were burning. She didn't know if she could stand another few days of this, let alone the several months until her birthday. She knew it was just going to get worse when Caleb Ascended. Dragging herself out of bed, she moved slowly into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. Her eyes were black, and everything she touched started melting. She ran a cold shower and let the brutal chill shock her into awareness.

When she got out, the spell had passed, and she looked like her normal self, just extremely fatigued. She got dressed in her uniform. Then, she applied the dark eye makeup she'd taken to wearing lately and Used to put a few Hellfire-red streaks in her hair. After her 13th birthday, the colored streaks had become her trademark. Then, Jeff and Nancy laid down the law and she changed to survive them. She was done with that now. She was Covenant, and it was time she starting acting like it again. She pulled on a set of long, thin leather gloves that went all the way up past her elbows, and headed downstairs.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Max Evans was lying in bed, thinking about Liz. He didn't know what had gotten into her. She seemed so different lately. It had started even before Alex died. She'd started wearing darker clothing and makeup. It wasn't just her appearance; her attitude had changed too. There'd always been hints of it, flickering around the edges of her sweet smiles, but lately it seemed as though the sweet smiles had been the veneer. He couldn't believe what she'd said to him yesterday. She was wrong about their connection. It bound her to him.

Even worse was the memory of Liz saying she wasn't in love with him. She'd been completely calm when she said it, too, like she was commenting on something as trivial as the weather. He knew everything there was to know about His Liz. He was connected to her. He'd seen inside her soul. She was just acting out because she was grieving. She couldn't have meant what she said yesterday; Liz Parker had always forgiven him for everything. It was in her nature. He'd show her that he wasn't going anywhere, and she'd come running into his arms, all sweet smiles again, and they'd find Zan together. It would also put an end to her newfound closeness with Michael, and put Michael's protective instincts back on Maria where they belonged.

What Max didn't know was that Liz had felt the connection that he forged between them when he saved her, and only let him see images that didn't include the Sons. It was a failsafe put in place when the Covenant was forged so that enemies couldn't penetrate their minds, and demons couldn't possess them and use their powers.

When Michael arrived for his shift that morning, he reached out gently and touched one of the streaks in her hair. "Is this what the real L.P. looks like?"

She nodded.

"I like it."

Liz smiled wanly. "Thanks. If only I could escape this god-awful uniform."

Michael's lips twitched, and then he stood back to subject her to his keen General Michael gaze. "You look tired."

She gave him the hairy eyeball. "And here I was, thinking about running a marathon today, for kicks."

He ignored her sarcasm; being well acquainted with its uses. "Are you OK?" he asked instead.

"Rough night," she admitted.

"I can run this gin joint if you wanna crash," Michael said quietly, trying to keep their conversation separate from the staff trickling in around them.

Liz met his eyes finally, and he shivered at the haunted look in them. "Wouldn't help. Can't sleep." She muttered something about burning lungs and turned away from him to start the morning staff meeting.

Michael let her be, feeling utterly helpless. His friend was going through hell and there was nothing he could do. All he could do was support her, and be ready to get her the hell out of Dodge if things went south. He headed to the kitchen to start prepping for the day, hoping that Maxwell didn't show up and make things worse.

Liz was grateful that Michael was on shift today. She was also grateful that there were enough waitresses today, so she wouldn't have to pull double duty. As she opened the floor, she was praying to any deity that would listen that Max had gotten the hint yesterday and would stay away. Somehow she doubted it. Sure enough, the Pod Squad showed up at noon. Kyle had his Gameboy; Max and Isobel had textbooks, and Maria had a stack of magazines. Liz was starting to wonder if she should charge them rent. Max met her eyes with what he probably thought was an irresistible smile. She found it creepy. His smile faltered when he caught sight of her hair, and that made Liz do an internal Happy Dance.

She purposefully turned her back on them, and started working through some of her Calculus homework. Her hands were shaking slightly from fatigue and the effort it took to keep from Using. She closed her eyes and amused herself by imagining Max dying in as many ways as she could think up. Her favorite was the one where his head exploded. She felt someone settle next to her, and she could tell without looking that it was Isobel. Opening her dark eyes, she eyed the intruder, not bothering to hide her pique.

"It's time for this nonsense to stop," Isobel commanded, giving Liz her best Ice Queen expression.

Liz rolled her eyes and said nothing.

The alien princess paused for a moment, nonplused by this New Liz that didn't seem at all intimidated by her. What she didn't realize was that Liz had never been intimidated by her; it was just part of her Perfect Liz persona. "How long are you going to string my brother along before you put him out of his misery?"

"What do you mean?" Liz asked, confused.

Isobel glared. "We all know you're going to go running back to him. You always do. So just _do_ it already, so I can stop wasting my vacation in this rattrap of a diner."

"This isn't a game," Liz said, exasperated. "I'm not messing around with him as some sort of power play."

"Then what are you doing?" Isobel demanded.

Liz sighed. "Look, Isobel, this isn't really any of your business."

The blonde glowered at her. "It's my business when my brother is dragging me around to stalk you and thus ruining my vacation."

"And you couldn't say '_no_'?" Liz questioned, with an arched brow.

Isobel grimaced. "Please, you know what a Drama Queen he is. It's easier to just go along with it instead of having to listen to him whine."

Seeing that Isobel wasn't going to leave without Liz capitulating to her wishes, she spoke. "I'm never going to date Max again." She paused to let that sink in. "I don't love him anymore. Hell, I don't even like him that much these days."

Isobel was shocked. Liz had never been so definitive on the subject of Max. Looking into her eyes, she realized the girl was being completely serious. This was no game; Max had pushed Liz too far and now she was done. A tiny part of her applauded Liz for finally growing a spine. "I can't believe you're being so selfish," she snapped, frustrated. "This isn't the time for hurt feelings. Max has a plan to find Zan, but he needs you for it to work."

Liz sat up straight and looked right into Isobel's eyes. "I will not follow your weak-minded hack of a King _anywhere_. Anyone who does is a traitor to Alex's memory."

She stood up and walked away from Isobel to settle a customer complaint at the register. When she returned to her spot, Isobel was back at the Pod Squad's table. Max and Maria were whispering fiercely, but Isobel was silent, looking shaken. Liz sighed and returned to her pile of work. After a while, she closed her eyes, but this time, she was imagining the Sons. Her sense memory wasn't nearly as good as the real thing, but she tried to grasp on to that feeling that she got when they were all together.

She felt a flood of power wash over her, and her head snapped up. That felt just like… Filled with a sense of wild, dangerous hope, she stood and turned around slowly. There, in the entryway, stood two of the most beautiful figures she'd ever seen. One had tousled brown hair, ocean-blue eyes, and a breathtaking smile. The other had platinum hair swept over to one side of his face, piercing gray eyes, and a tempting smirk. She stood frozen, blinking rapidly; unable to believe this wasn't some cruel mirage.

"Well, if it isn't little El Parker," Reid Garwin drawled. "Gone from our lives, but _never_ from our hearts." He placed a hand, covered in his trademark fingerless gloves, over the appendage in question.

"Hey Ellie," Tyler Simms greeted with a sweet smile.

Hearing their distinctive voices broke the last of Liz's restraint, and she ran towards them, eyes filling with tears. Tyler immediately opened his arms and caught her, pulling her into his chest and murmuring soothing words into her ear. Reid stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around them both, pushing Liz's long hair aside and rubbing his cheek against her bare neck. They could sense how close to the edge she was, and that she desperately needed contact. Everything else could wait. The bell dinged again, and Liz felt another flood of power.

"Room for one more?" a gruff voice interrupted. Reid and Tyler pulled back slightly so Liz could see the long-haired figure clad in biker leather standing there, amber eyes glittering dangerously.

"Make that two." A final figure stepped through the door, slightly taller than the rest, with short, black hair and dark eyes.

Liz's smile was brighter than the sun. "There's always room for you two," she said, voice husky with tears.

Pogue Parry and Caleb Danvers moved unhesitatingly into the group hug, each Son making skin-to-skin contact with the wayward Daughter. None of them had felt complete without her; the struggle against addiction was harder, and the power surges due to their approaching Ascensions more painful. They could only imagine what horrors she'd gone through all alone in Roswell.

Michael Guerin was pleased. Hell, he was grinning from ear-to-ear. People in multiple galaxies would've been shocked to see him right now. It was just too perfect, though. He'd been watching Liz worriedly after her confrontation with Isobel, so he _felt_ them before he saw them. Power, pure and simple, of a magnitude he'd never experienced, not even from full-blooded Antarians. His gaze had been drawn to the door, just as Liz's head snapped up, and Michael had gone on alert. Max and Isobel felt it too, and it seemed like the whole restaurant dropped into neutral as everyone turned to watch.

The second thing Michael noticed, after the flood of power, was how connected the two figures seemed. He could imagine a buzzing black cord stretching out between them. The third thing he noticed was how uncommonly beautiful they were. It reminded him of Liz, though until recently, she'd gone out of her way to cover it up. Then, their eyes landed on Liz, as though drawn there by a magnet, and all his remaining doubts about who they were disappeared. If that hadn't been enough, the look on Liz's face when she saw them would've cleared it up.

As soon as Liz stepped into the picture, she became the interlocking third part. Watching them together was like watching a well-choreographed play where everyone already knew their parts. There was no awkwardness typical of friends separated by time. They instinctively know what was needed from each other. The brunette opened his arms simultaneously with Liz making the decision to run into them, and the blonde intuitively closed the circle, both males making a point to touch Liz's skin. It was like they were one being, rather than three.

That impression only heightened when the final two joined the picture. The power flooding the room reached its peak the instant all five of them were joined, skin-to-skin. It was intoxicating, and also touching. Liz's expression was one of bliss, of _home_, and he felt even more strongly how tough she was to have survived with parts of her literally missing. He also felt privileged that he was allowed to view this intimacy, though he knew that if it weren't for the circumstances, they wouldn't have put on such a display in public. Mundanes wouldn't be able to feel the power surges the way the aliens could, but everyone with eyes could see how connected they all were and the aura of Otherness about them.

What made Michael happiest was that the Pod Squad was here to see this beautiful tableau, and realize once and for all that they really didn't know Liz Parker like they thought they did. Max's face was plastered with a rather worrisome amount of rage, while Isobel and Maria looked green with envy. Kyle, however, met Michael's eyes and looked like all his Christmases had come at once. The two shared a silent moment of solidarity from across the room.


End file.
